Why Do People Use Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Enabled Voice Assistants?

Abstract

Artificial-Intelligence-enabled voice assistants, such as Alexa and Siri, are increasingly replacing search engines as consumers actively employ the former to accomplish a variety of their day-to-day tasks. Technology providers as well as marketers increasingly work to leverage the use of voice assistants to engage their customers and offer them more personalized value propositions. This article examines the various consumption values associated with the use of voice assistants. Based on a theoretical framework rooted in the “theory of consumption values” (TCV), we undertake a mixed-methods approach that comprises interviews with experts (n = 5) and consumers (n = 30) as well as a cross-sectional survey with active users of voice assistants (n = 371). The article considers five consumption values—social identity, convenience, personification, perceived usefulness, and perceived playfulness—and two types of usage of voice assistants—information search and task function. Our findings contextualize and extend the TCV framework using voice assistant technology and obtain empirical support for the interrelation of consumption values. We find that social identity and personification have a strong positive association with both usefulness and playfulness. Furthermore, usefulness and playfulness are positively associated with information search and task function. In addition, trust and frequency of use significantly (and positively) moderate the association between usefulness and usage of voice assistants. Technology providers and marketers can capitalize on these findings to develop various voice-enabled applications and services that enhance the consumer experience and consumer engagement.